Method of cleaning chocolate molds



May'26, 1953 A. c. STEENBERG METHOD OF CLEANING CHOCOLATE MOLDS 2Sheets-Sheetl Filed July 18, 1947 m w a 6 4 4 ww wx 0 J I: 0 2y 6 4 z 4w w w 6 Z J 4 +93 3 INVENTOR. AXE-l. (IR/JUAN firm/vans Hiram/aw y 26, 5A. c. STEENBERG 2,640,003

METHOD OF CLEANING CHOdOLATE MOLDS Filed July 18, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR.

I Axe; C/lfi/J'I'MN Src-cwanea alums 1 Patented May 26, 1953 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE METHOD OF CLEANING CHOCOLATE MOLDS Axel ChristianSteenberg, Copenhagen, Denmark Application July 18, 1947 Serial No.761,936 In Germany July 22, 1939 1 Claim. 1

In cleaning chocolate moulds with soda Us or like solutions andafterwards rinsing with hot water it has appeared to be difficult toremoveall traces of impurities. Generally this cleaning method leaves onthe moulds single dull stains originating from sugar substance notremoved and such stains will later on effect the appearance of traces onthe chocolate moulded in the said moulds. Hitherto it has, therefore,been necessary after the cleaning process to scour the moulds in orderto remove the said stains.

Similar conditions are found when washing other articles having a smoothsurface, e. g. dinner-service, dishes with. a glazed surface andpolished silver. The washing methods hitherto known necessitate afterthe Washing and rinsing operation drying off or rubbing off ofthearticles if the same shall appear bright, even minor deposits on thesurface being visible owing to the special. nature of the surface. Thismay not be due to residual dirt, only, but also to matter deposited fromthe washing or rinsing water as the same has been heated. Dish washingmachines are known in which the articles treated are finally subjectedto a steam sterilisation. In an embodiment of such known machines thearticles are moved along a predetermined path, the said articles firstbeing washed with a washing solution,- then rinsed with water andfinally sterilised. by admitting steam. This steam treatment does noteffect cleaning and, is not carried out under such conditions as willsecure that the articles leave the machine in a stainless condition.

A further object of the invention is to provide a method of cleaningchocolate moulds in order to remove fatty and sticky matter therefrom.

l A further object of the invention is to provide a method by which thedirt adhering to the articles will be loosened and be removed andsimultaneously be carried away.

-' Further objects ofthe invention will appear from the accompanyingdrawing illustrating by way of example an embodiment of an apparatus forcarrying out the method according to the invention. Said embodimentwhich is specially designed for cleaning chocolate moulds is showndiagrammatically. It will be understood that the invention is notrestricted to the special appara- 'tus shown, nor to the specialconditions of operation here described. a

Figure 1 shows a longitudinal section of the said apparatus takensubstantially along the lines I-I of Figure 2, v

Figure 2 shows a vertical II-II in Figure 1 and Figure 3 shows ahorizontal cross-section on line Ill-III in Figure 1.

cross-section on line ing piece Hi, the latter chamber enclosing asludge container Ill. The rest of the casing Ill contains anelectromotor 20 which is drivingly connected with driving gears 22 bytransmission members 23.

In the steam chamber I2 a conveyor device for the chocolate moulds 24 tobe cleaned, Figure 3, is arranged. The said device consists of twosuperposed. conveyor chains 26 and 28 having parallel chain parts movedin the same direction, between which the moulds 24 are advanced in avertical position from one end of the casing ID to the other. As shownin Figure 3, the conveyor chains 26, 28 are provided with supportingmembers 30 having wedge-shaped notches engaging the edges of the moulds.At those places where the moulds are carried into the chamber I2 andwhere they are discharged therefrom, slits 32, Figure 3, are provided inthe end walls of the easing l0, and the moulds are put into the casingalong guides on a bracket 34, while after having passed the chamber l2they are discharged along a chute not shown. The guide rollers 36, 38 orthe upper chain are supported on slides 40, 42, by means of bearingpedestals, the said slides being slidable in a vertical direction inguides 44 and being adjustable by means of a common shaft 50 mounted onthe top of the casing l0, screws 46 and worm wheels 48, by the use of ahand wheel 52, in such a manner that the distance between the horizontalchain parts may be adapted to the height of the moulds.

The steam by which the moulds are to be cleaned and which may have apressure of e. g. 4 atmosphere, is supplied to two pipes 54 on bothsides of the chamber 12 through conduits 53. Each pipe 54 has at itsinner end. a cross-pipe 56 the ends of which are bent inwardly towardsthe path of movement of the moulds, the latter pipes being closed bynozzles lying at a short distance from the said path and through whichthe steam is ejected against the surface Of the moulds. Between theconduits 53 and the pipes 54 packing boxes are inserted which allowturning of the pipes, the same being mounted in brackets on slides 58which are adjustable in vertical direction by rotation of the shaft 50,just as the slides 40, 42, but in such a way that the first mentionedslides are moved. only by half the distance by which the latter ones aremoved. Hereby it can be obtained that in the adjustment, the pipes 54are always midway between the horizontal chain parts.

The method according to the invention is most eifectively carried out bymoving the jets to and fro over .the surface of the moulds, the mouldssimultaneously being moved past the jets, or vice versa. Hereby, it isobtained that in the cleanin process the moulds can be cleaned by meansof relatively few jets, so to say by the kinetic energy contained in theejecting jets.

In operating the apparatus the cross-pipes 56 are oscillated in such amannerthatt'he nozzles placed at their ends are moved from the .loweredge of the moulds to the upper edge and back again. This movement isobtained thereby that arms 60 are secured to the pipes 54, said'armsbeing connected by a connecting rod GZand-being driven together by meansof an oscillating lever 64, engaging with a slit 66 a roller on one arm60, the said lever itself being driven by a crank on a disc 68securedtoone of thedriving. gears 22 with the use of a pitman 10.Whenadjusting theslides 58, the said roller is movedin such a manner inthe slit 66 that the magnitude of the oscillating movement ofthecross-pipes 55 becomes dependent on the mutual distance of the chainparts and thus on the height'of the moulds.

One of the driving gears 22 drives one of the guide rollers M of theconveyor chain 28 by means of a belt or chain 12. The shaft of thisguide roller drives the guide roller 38 of the conveyor chain 26' bymeans of a belt or chain gear 16 with vertical parts, one'oi which isled'in a curve over the guide roller 36 by means of guide rollers "16 onthe slide 42, so that the said guide roller 38'is drivenindependently ofthe'height position 'of the conveyor chain 26.

'The'suctionside 'of anyexhauster'illl placed on top of the casing I isconnected to thechamber I 6 by meansof a 'conduit62. The said exhausteris 'driven'independently, e. g. by an electromotor not shown.

In operatingtheapparatus the moulds Mare introduced, e. g. manually,atthe left end of the casing. lflthrough the slit 32, whereafter theyare engaged by the 'conveyorchains 25, 28 and are'led slowly through thecasing to the other end of the same. While the moulds are led throughthe chamber 12, they are hit from both sides by the steam jets fromthenozzleswhich-while being moved up'and down-cause the jets to describea zigzag path on' the surface of the moulds. Simultaneously, the steamand the impurities suspended therein are removed by suction by theexhauster 80. Said impurities are deposited in the container 18.Preferably, the exhauster is so large or it is driven with such avelocity that no steam is discharged through the slits 32, Whereas someatmospheric air is sucked in through the same. Thereby it is possible tocontrol the temperature and the steam conditions in the chamber l2,which is of substantial importance as it must be avoided that the steamin the chamber is condensed on the moulds which are on the verge ofleaving the chamber in a finished cleaned state. If such a condensationtakesplace, the moulds will become staineddue to .the impurities presentin the steam used for the cleaning operation. Owing to the presence ofthe slits .32 the pressure in the chamber l2 will bessubstantially equalto the atmospheric pressure.

In order to attain the object mentionedit is essential that the steamhaving-hitthe moulds and having dissolvedand partly removed theimpurities adhering thereto is removed as soonas possible from thesurroundings of the moulds.

progressive cleaning being obtained by the nozzles resp. series ofnozzles passed by the moulds. To this end'cthe exhauster is connected tothe chamber l2 at the bottom at the end of the chamber where the mouldsare led into the casing. Therebya somewhat regular circulation ofthesteam from the various series of nozzles towards the connecting piece Mis obtained 50 that the steam which has. already hit the moulds cannotre-contact with the same. The conveyor deviceis-placed at the top of thechamber I2 and the steam is removed by suction at the base, as thedownward circulation thereby obtained is natural, the discharged steambeing heavier than the steam suppliedthe former, besides, containingimpurities. Furthermore, it has proved to be essential that thelastnozzle of each series is found in the neighborhood of the point ofremoval of the moulds from the casing, as, thereby, said moulds are'notto a'substantial degree subjected to a cooling action and thereby to asteam condensation before leaving the casing.

By using .the method'described and the appertaining apparatus asatisfactory cleaningof the articles treated is obtained, as it has beenfound that thethermicand mechanic action of thedry steam jets on thearticles and'on the impurities brings about the removal of the latterwithout leaving stains of any kind.

Having thus fully described my invention I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent:

A method of cleaning chocolate moulds comprising projecting jets of drysteam against the surface of the said moulds in'a confined space andsimultaneously removing the steam used together with the impuritiesembodied therein from the space surrounding the moulds by suction.

AXEL CHRISTIAN STEENBERG.

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